HJC RPHA 90 Review

by Alex Meyer

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HJC released its RPHA series of helmets as their high performance collection. RPHA actually stands for Revolutionary Performance Helmet Advantage. This company's helmets stand out as they strive for comfort, visibility, and noise prevention.

The RPHA 90 has several great features -  it is lightweight, has a composite construction shell, and comes in a wide variety of sizes. If you're looking to buy a high performance helmet, this will be your best bet.

Let's take a closer look at the RPHA 90.

Ratings

Comfort:

95%
Comfort

Visibility:

90%
Visibility

Ventilation:

89%
Ventilation

Quietness:

98%
Quietness

Specifications

Outer shell material : Fiberglass, amarid, and carbon

Shell size : 3 shell sizes help to optimize weight, fit, and comfort across a range of XS-3XL

Liner : Polygiene fabric

Weight : 3 lbs

Pinlock : Inc

Strap System : Chin strap with double-D ring buckle

Safety Ratings

DOT : Yes

ECE : Yes

SNELL : No

SHARP : 3 stars


Shape and materials

The outside shell of the RPHA 90 is made of fiberglass, aramid, and carbon, which are very lightweight materials. This helmet has been specifically designed to reduce noise, so its shape exemplifies that feature. The helmet's snug chin curtain and neck roll will prevent noise from entering the helmet. There is also a glasses groove inside the helmet, which allows people who wear glasses to wear this helmet comfortably, without their glasses pressing against the side of their heads. It's a great feature.

The inside of the helmet is meant to fit very close to the face, and it has something called a 3D lining. This living is removable and washable for your convenience. The lining is made from polygiene fabric, which uses silver chloride to make it resistant to bacteria. This fabric also minimizes odor, so you won't need to wash it all the time.

HJC uses multi-cool technology with all of its helmets. Multi-cool technology is a moisture-wicking material which will keep your head dry while also removing heat from the inside of the helmet.

Like the rest of HJC's helmets, the RPHA 90 comes in sizes from XXS-XXXL, which means it fit virtually anyone. If you're not sure about your size, HJC has a motorcycle helmet fitting guide to ensure that your helmet is perfect for you. The helmet is also very lightweight - it only weighs 1.47 kilograms. It has an Inc pinlock and a double-D ring fastener.

Things I liked

  • Lightweight
  • Comes in a wide variety of sizes
  • Secure chin curtain and neck roll
  • 3D lining
  • Great comfort features
  • Multi-cool technology
  • Reduces noise significantly
  • Great ventilation
  • High safety ratings

Things I don’t like

  • Visor is not designed for sports bike riding
  • Standard ventilation

Overall comfort

The RPHA 90 is extremely comfortable. Users say that its interior is very soft, and its polygiene fabric really makes a difference. Not many helmets have a glasses groove inside, so many users really love this feature. If you wear glasses, you'll appreciate this comfort feature.  

The double-D fastener makes for a very close fit. You won't have to worry about adjusting the helmet while you're riding. Once you fasten it so it's comfortable for you, it will stay like that for your whole ride. The RPHA 90 was designed with comfort in mind, and if you purchase the correct size for you, the helmet should fit like a glove.

Users have rated this helmet with a 95 out of 100 in terms of comfort, which is fantastic. Users love the helmet's soft interior and the fact that it has grooves for glasses.


Visibility

The visor on the RPHA 90 is very high-quality. The visor is quick-release, the pinlock is ready, and there's even a pinlock anti-fog feature. You'll experience great peripheral vision with this helmet's wide front, and its visor lock will even stop it from opening while you're riding. Keep in mind that this visor is not designed for sports bike riding. You may struggle to see in front of you because it does not have a very tall opening.

The RPHA also comes with an integral drop-down sun visor. This a great feature and improves visibility in very bright sun. If you've forgotten your sunglasses and the sun is too bright, all you have to do is slide this sun visor into place. The sun visor is also anti-scratch and anti-fog coated, and it will give you some extra UV protection. The sun visor makes this helmet even better.

Users have rated the RPHA 90 with a 90 out of 100 in terms of visibility. This helmet will give you excellent visibility during regular road riding, but not during sports bike riding. This may be a negative aspect of the helmet for some users.


Quietness

The RPHA 90 has been designed specifically to reduce noise. The shell has been aerodynamically and wind tunnel tested to be sure that it truly prevents riding noise. The neck roll and chin curtain combined keep extensive noise out of the helmet, and the internal lining makes for even less noise to get through its snug fit.

Users say that this is one of the most quiet helmets they've even worn. Whether they are road riding or having some off-roading adventures, this helmet keeps its noise-free promise. Noise is one of the biggest problems that people face while riding, so the RPHA 90 was designed to significantly reduce riding noise.

Users have rated the RPHA 90 with a 98 out of 100 in terms of quietness, which is excellent. This helmet was designed specifically for a quiet ride, and users agree that it really does keep the noise out.


Ventilation

The ventilation on the RPHA 90 is a pretty standard configuration. The central chin vent is large enough to drive air towards the back of the visor and around the mouth. You can even close the vent if you'd like. You can use the panel slider in the middle of the chin guard to direct air away from your mouth. There is another large slider that will open or close the top vent as well. Both of these sliders are very easy to find and maneuver, even with your riding gloves on. They are made for your convenience and to adjust while riding if needed.

Users have rated the RPHA 90 with a 89 out of 100 in terms of ventilation. Overall, the ventilation is pretty good, but it is just standard.


Safety

The advanced composite PIM+ shell on the RPHA 90 includes layers of fiberglass, aramid, and carbon. These materials create a strong, lightweight helmet. The RPHA 90 is ECE certified, which means it's been tested and approved by the Europeans. It has also been DOT certified as well. The fact that this helmet meets these safety tests is great. However, the RPHA 90 has not been tested by SHARP or Snell, so we can't be totally sure how well this helmet would do on their safety tests.

On a positive note, 3 of HJC'S RPHA helmets have been tested by SHARP, and each one scored 3 stars for safety. This gives us a vague idea of how the RPHA 90 would do on this same test.

The RPHA 90 has several features that make it a very safe helmet.

The drop-down sun visor will keep your vision clear even in the brightest sun, and its Pinlock Max Vision anti-fog makes this helmet perfect for riding on a humid or rainy day.

The double-D ring fastener is actually slightly weighted to ensure that it stays intact while riding. This small safety feature may not seem very significant, but it can make a huge difference while riding.

The RPHA 90 weighs slightly over three pounds, which is very light in comparison to other helmets. This is a great comfort feature, but an even better safety feature. In the case of a serious accident, lighter helmets will have give less mass to injure the head.

Conclusion

The RPHA 90 is a lightweight, compact helmet with a great visor system and high-quality internals. Users have said they experience all-day comfort while wearing this helmet and that the noise while riding is very minimal. The RPHA 90 is worth its price tag because it is a flip-up helmet that provides a truly quiet ride - these are two features that most people look for in a helmet.

Every helmet has its pros and cons, but the great features of the RPHA 90 outweigh the negatives. The great visibility and drop-down sun visor on this helmet will help you see where you're going, and the interior lining will keep you cool and comfortable all day long.

Riding with this helmet will make you feel confident, safe and protected. When you consider all of its great features and advantages, it's price is pretty reasonable.  Very few helmets are made with this level of comfort and with so many different uses. You will love the way this helmet looks and feels.

Where to buy this helmet :